Growing Brave
by Ljiljana
Summary: History AU, set in WWII. When his brother and his best friend join the resistance, Sasuke had little choice but to follow. yaoi


**Title: **Growing Brave

**Rating: M**

**Summary: **History AU, set in WWII. Both of them are a part of the Resistance, but Sasuke is pushed into action only after Naruto needed rescuing.

**Wordcount**: 10682

**A/N**: A late birthday present for Yuuko_Uchiha.

**Warnings:** Nothing special. Some death indicated; but the story is settled in the WWII so that's to expect. Some torture mentioned, but nothing detailed. Keep in mind I've done the research only vaguely, so there is (seriously!) a possibility my facts are not all straight.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine; neither manga nor character. Or all the other characters I used. The only things I will be possibly getting out of writing this story are rotten tomatoes – no money involved.

* * *

**Growing Brave**

February, 1944.

The uniform was exactly his size, but he felt slightly uncomfortable wearing it anyway. The markings on insignia consisted of a three silver pips and two silver stripes on a black collar patch and it was on the opposite side from the unit insignia patch, which meant that he was wearing the uniform of a Hauptsturmführer, or a captain, of the Waffen-SS. It was a mental discomfort though, so it was easy to cover for it with an impassive face and correct posture.

Sasuke slipped into the driver seat of the shiny black car without hesitation and without turning back, but he could feel Itachi's eyes on him anyway, and it felt like a grave premonition. It was not a very good way to go to a place the like of which Sasuke was going now, because it was far more likely that he would die than come back to him, but he was still very angry with his brother at the moment. A nagging little whisper in his head told him he could regret it, but Sasuke firmly focused on what was important now, and that was Naruto.

The car started and moved swiftly, headlights violently bright while leaving the front of the yard unlit, plain and unfamiliar house; just like a car of a mid-ranked officer of the Waffen-SS should. The local headquarters was just outside of the town, so Sasuke had some time to clear his head of the fight he'd had with Itachi, and steel himself for what was he about to do.

This was, after all, his very first combat action, even though he had been an irreplaceable part of the resistance movement for almost six months.

***

_January, 1943_

_When a rock hit his window, Sasuke knew it was Naruto, because glass almost broke from the force of the hit and because, well, no one else he knew would be bold enough – or idiot enough - to walk around after the curfew, except for Itachi. But Itachi had a spare key, even though he was using it rarely, so there was no reason for him to throw rocks at the windows of his own house._

_Sasuke opened a wing of the window facing the elaborate backyard of the old Uchiha house built in stone stone. Naruto was indeed there, looking up at him with a smile that was nervous but somehow clear in the light of the moon__**. **__Sasuke gritted his teeth, refusing to make it any easier on him, so he pretended he had no idea what was going on._

"_You moron," He hissed, softly, but the sound echoed off the next door building anyway. 'Are you trying to get yourself arrested again?"_

_Naruto huffed, annoyed, but that was all. He glanced quickly around, even though there was no way for him to be seen from the street. The yard was nestled in-between the old houses and planted cypresses. He quickly climbed onto the small ledge under Sasuke's window until they were on the same level, face to face. It was not very high, but he still held onto the windowsill tightly._

"_I thought," Naruto whispered in a thick, loaded voice, looking somewhere beside Sasuke's elbow, "I should say goodbye to someone. And, there's no one else."_

_There __**was**__ no one else, Naruto was orphan. And, yeah, Sasuke knew what was going on; Naruto had been talking about it for weeks. It was just a matter of time when he would find a reliable connection and join the resistance. Sasuke absolutely refused to ask Itachi, who was a long-standing member, because he had wanted Naruto to remain safe – if he had to worry about his brother every day, than at least he wouldn't have to worry about his best friend as well. But, Naruto was stubborn. He'd obviously found someone else._

_Sasuke gritted his teeth harder, so he wouldn't give in to the fear welling up in his stomach. "You're going somewhere?" _

_Naruto finally looked right at him; half amused, half scornful._

"_You know I am. And I have to hurry, they're waiting for me."_

_There was nothing to say to that, but Naruto seemed to expect something from him anyway. Silence stretched and Naruto just kept looking at him, until Sasuke's throat was dry and itchy from the effort not to yell or try to keep him right there, where he could see him._

"_Right," Sasuke managed finally, and some emotion broke through._

_Naruto took a deep, deep breath, casting one more look down - probably to where his contact was waiting, and then, before Sasuke could even react, he leaned over the windowsill until they were nose to nose. The sudden closeness and bright, penetrating eyes, made Sasuke want to step back, but Naruto grabbed the back of his neck to keep him in place and kissed him, dry and firm, right on the mouth. _

_It took seconds for Sasuke to react, to move his hand, or try to do anything at all, but as soon as Naruto realized the shock had faded from Sasuke, he retreated._

"_I'll see you once all this is over, okay?" Naruto whispered, and not waiting for an answer, he jumped down on the ground and ran across the back yard until he disappeared into the shadows of the cypresses that were welcoming him with an acrid song created by the wind sailing through their branches. _

_***  
_

The gate was made of iron posts, insanely high with spear points at the ends of them, and it was new. Sasuke knew this house – which was one of the boundaries for his plan – but it was heavily renovated recently and the gate was added then, which was bad in case the need for immediate escape arose. He stopped the car in front of it, and one of the guards approached to check his papers and ask about his intentions; when Sasuke opened the door to pass the guard his documents the barking of the dogs could be heard, loud and close.

Most of Sasuke's extremely black hair was under the cap, but his skin was fair and the moonlight was not very bright anyway. Hopefully no one would look too much into his appearance; after all these years of war, the physical requirements for class distinction were bound to be less strict; or, so he hoped.

The soldier was young and inexperienced, so there was _some_ luck. Sasuke impatiently rapped his knuckles against the wheel when the boy had to move his weapon from one shoulder to the other, and a nervous hand almost dropped his papers before Sasuke even let go of them properly.

They were most likely good, because Sakura was brilliant at making false documents, but Sasuke didn't think this boy saw a letter of it from the fear. The reputation of SS officers was very familiar to the remaining soldiers as well, it seemed. Sasuke gave the boy the most scornful glare he could manage, because that was probably the least that was expected of him and because if the boy kept showing his emotions like that, he would end up in real trouble as soon as a _real_ mid-ranked officer showed up.

The gate opened at the wave of the guard's hand, and Sasuke drove the car through it – the only brother of the unofficial leader of the resistance movement in the entire area, the only one who had all the information on the actions and missions that the movement had done in the last half year due to his organizing and translating skills, calmly drove a stolen car into the enemies' Headquarters all by himself; without support, without reinforcement.

_Fucking Itachi._

But Naruto was there, captured almost two days ago, so Sasuke marked the proper part of the plan in his head as successful; he was inside. He turned the car right away to face the exit, for easier escape – just in case he lived long enough to need one.

***

_Spring, 1943_

_In the first several months after the war came to their town – well, it wasn't technically a war, it was military invasion – all the schools had to be closed. There was this man, a director of the local high school, who talked too loud about the things that shouldn't even have been whispered. He was shot inside the town square for it. For a very long time after that incident all schools were closed._

_When they were finally re-opened, not even a half of the teachers could be found. Some were dead, some runaways and some, the boldest kind, had left the country, gone to fight at the frontline. Sasuke - as the best student of his generation - was asked, with a couple of others, to take care of and teach some of the children, those seven to eleven years old. So he wasn't feeling helpless or useless sitting at home; not even compared to his brother, who was one of the leaders of the resistance movement. After all, if Sasuke wasn't there to take the monthly beating from the Gestapo when they would come to look for Itachi, if he wasn't there to answer annoying, pointless questions, they would turn on his parents. _

_But once Naruto was gone as well, he became restless. It was one thing, being worried about Itachi who was smart, collected and thorough; it was entirely different worrying about Naruto, who was reckless, a bit dumb at times, and had quite a temper. _

_Besides, there was that goodbye kiss thing._

_Not that Sasuke thought about that often. Thinking about the things Naruto would do when he was in a mood for them, and had no sense at all when considering whether or not he should, was a waste of time. They usually meant nothing. This one meant nothing as well; Naruto just wanted someone to miss him, someone to remember him in case he died, so he went a bit . . . too far. _

_Despite that solid knowledge, on some nights, when everything was too still and quiet, he would wake up in his bed with the memory of that kiss; a memory that was too vivid, too familiar and very painful. He missed Naruto, because Naruto was the only friend he'd ever had. He missed those horrible jokes, being dragged around to places he didn't care about and that bright, careless smile._

_Only, after the war started, Naruto laughed less, and much more often agreed to stay in, sometimes remaining unnaturally still for hours usually spread out on a bed and occupied with something that was happening in his own head, and not at Sasuke. _

_When summer came and the children at school were on break, Sasuke thought he might go mad if his horrible, almost violent mood continued for long. Around that time, his mother had started to have these minor breakdowns, she would forget things and look through the window too often, and worst of all, she started calling Sasuke by his brother's name. To avoid seeing how her face would brighten with happiness every time she mistook him for his brother, Sasuke was spending more and more time in his room, thinking about his options. Next time when a nameless guy came by with a small sugar bag and whispered reassurance of Itachi's well being, Sasuke gave him a note. It said: "I want out."_

_Only after he carefully prepared the things he wanted with him did it occur to Sasuke that 'I want in" would probably have been a better way to phrase it. But, it didn't matter. Itachi would understand._

_Sure enough, the very next evening the answer came, not as a note, but a one word message from the mouth of yet another stranger. It was a simple 'No'. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his older, always overly protective brother's answer. He wrote another note on a piece of paper he ripped out of the sugar bag. It said: "Old train station. One week."_

_The old train station was where those who had wanted to volunteer for the frontlines, as part of the resistance, were told to gather at the beginning of the war__**. **__The meeting place had long since changed, but that was after Itachi left home. Before that, always when they talked about the options available to the resistance that place was mentioned. What Sasuke meant was that if Itachi refused to make a place for him in his own crowd, Sasuke would find a way to go to the front on his own. He was serious, too. Even just one more week in the house, with a mother that was slowly going insane and a father who was growing more attached to his extensive liqueur collection with each passing day than to his own family was unacceptable. _

_It worked, of course. Itachi came himself the next night, angry but quiet. He used his key and walked through the living room where their mother had fallen asleep looking through the window, ironically waiting for him, without waking her up. Sasuke was not asleep, so Itachi cracked the door of his room open and gave him the sign to follow. He led the way out and down a couple of streets, where he gave orders to a couple of waiting men to go back to the house, collect their parents and take them to a small village on the other side of the river - which would make them fugitives, but relatively safer than remaining in a town where they would be known as the parents of traitorous cowards. Sasuke then followed Itachi and them to the very edge of town, to the headquarters that was different from the one Sasuke had visited before when he'd been asked to help with some documents and codes in German._

_But when the car stopped, instead of going out, Itachi grabbed his elbow._

"_I had to work very hard on transferring him into my team. Don't fuck it up."_

_Because Sasuke knew only one person in the movement aside from his brother, ha had no doubt Itachi was talking about Naruto. Swallowing the urge to ask how he was doing, Sasuke settled for the second best, because Itachi had never liked Naruto. "Why'd you do that?"_

_Itachi simply answered, "Because I like having the best on my team." Which was several kinds of disturbing. _

_***  
_

February, 1944

No one else asked for his papers, a little thing Sasuke deemed ridiculous considering how young and obviously inexperienced the boy on the gate was. No one from the extensive guard that hailed him on his way in saw anything suspicious, apparently, because they let him through the large door with red flags on both sides. The warmth of the hallway was not welcome, only abrupt after the icy wind outside, but the dogs quieted down; the barking died away, which was something Sasuke was thankful for.

Only, once he was inside an officer with glasses and insignia that labeled him as _Feldwebel_, something similar to a squad/section leader, asked him to clarify his business.

The house was nothing less then breathtaking judging by the interior. Where once was dangerous garbage, pieces of concrete and steel rails, now there were chambers painted white, functional wooden furniture and clean floors. It was eerily bright after leaving the dark night behind.

Sasuke told him, careful to keep his voice commanding – which had, ironically, never been a problem before – that he was there to pick up and transfer the prisoner. It had been a long time since he'd had the opportunity to actually _speak_ German, not just read it, but it still had the right ring to his ears. There was no need to say Naruto's name, because there was only one prisoner, according to the data he'd been studying for hours before coming here. That was important enough for an officer of the SS to be interested in him.

The section leader led him around the staircase and through a door down to the basement.

***

_Spring/Summer 1943_

_It took a lot of glaring before Itachi decided to take a hint and tell him where Naruto was, without him having to actually ask about it. It turned out that Naruto was one of those sent to make sure their parents arrived at their destination safely, and that he should return that night. It was a good thing, to have with them someone they knew, and Naruto had been eating at the family table ever since he was twelve. Though, judging from what Itachi said earlier, that might not have been the reason Naruto was sent._

_He should be back soon enough one way or the other, so Sasuke waited._

_It was easy to pretend he wasn't waiting, because it seemed as there was always work to be done. They - Sasuke didn't even want to think about who they might be - were managing to translate quite a lot of stolen documents, some encrypted, and it was work Sasuke was familiar with. When he glanced at the translator who was working on the files before he came in, there was no turning back; the work was so sensitive, a disaster could happen from mere reading, not to mention if a mission was based on inaccurate or incorrect information. No wonder only one of one hundred missions was successful and Sasuke finally realized why Itachi, the overprotective freak, had risked so much to bring Sasuke in to work on information that was considered especially important several times before. _

_Engrossed in work, Sasuke almost forgot what he was waiting for, when, near daybreak, a group of people walked silently down the stairs into the wide basement of the old hotel by the freeway, where the HQ was currently settled. He looked up to watch three people, one by one, enter the spacey 'living room', Naruto was the last one. They all looked good; not hurt or in a hurry, so everything went well._

"_Who's that?" One of them, with dark hair in an old leather jacket, asked. Naruto looked up to where he was sitting, but instead of greeting Sasuke, he turned and whispered something to the guy who had voiced the question. From the look he got after that, Sasuke knew he was just introduced as Itachi's little brother; something not even war can change. Not that he minded it as much nowadays._

"_My parents?" he asked as brusquely as he could. If Naruto couldn't say hello, or give any sort of sign he was aware that Sasuke was present then he wouldn't either. But, Sasuke couldn't help but ask about what was such a constant in his mind._

"_Everything went well," the man from before said, and it was a good answer. He couldn't have known if Sasuke was in on the specifics or not, so this was a good way to reassure him and not give up information. As he probably wouldn't manage to get out any extra information, Sasuke returned his attention to the translation correction that was almost done. The steps, after some murmuring, announced that the group was retreating, but he could still feel a presence in the room. Naruto must have stayed behind._

_Sasuke held his breath, angry with himself for it. There were more important things to think about right now; there was war, there was danger just on the other side of the door. There were his parents, too, dumped somewhere safe but far away, so they wouldn't pay in death for the choices their sons had made - but here he was, pretending he was reading from the sheet of paper in front of him, unable to think about anything but how Naruto had kissed him when he left, about the bitter wind in the cypresses and how the imprint of his lips had been coming back to him in restless dreams for months now. _

_Sasuke never heard him approaching from the heartbeat that was resounding suddenly in his ears – and that was new, even with this new thing between them, it was still just Naruto, not a stranger – but a shadow fell on his face and Sasuke lifted his head once again. Naruto wasn't happy to see him, that was at least clear at first glance. The look on his face was odd, a mixture Sasuke had never seen before; anger, and worry and also some insane intensity that made him think Naruto would hit him any second now._

_Lifting an eyebrow skeptically, Sasuke asked, keeping his voice level, "Itachi says you're quite good at this – working the underground_

_Naruto, relaxing a bit, narrowed his eyes. "I'm __**very**__ good. The best."_

_He said nothing after that, so Sasuke returned his attention to the paper, not that he could read anything right then. This awkwardness was ridiculous; as was Naruto's behavior. He acted almost like Sasuke had done something wrong, something he should have asked about first. _

_Naruto paced the room a couple of times before he stopped suddenly. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Translating this shit," Sasuke answered as calmly as possible, but his patience, never his strong suit anyway, was wearing off, "as even you should be able to see."_

_Naruto obviously wasn't in the mood to play, as if an insult of that kind was nothing more than a game, because he was next to Sasuke's chair in an instant; he grabbed the backrest and turned it forcefully until Sasuke was facing him. _

"_You were supposed to be home. Safe."_

_Sasuke just barely managed not to snort. "Don't be an idiot. Nowhere is safe nowadays."_

_It was not something Naruto could argue, so he shut his mouth. But Sasuke knew what he meant. If it was his choice, he would have made both Itachi and Naruto sit in a locked room and not lift a finger until the end of the war. In fact, if that was what it would take for them survive, he would be more than happy to watch them be German occupation's pet dogs__But as neither one of them had even a milligram of submissiveness in them, they just had to go and join the resistance movement. And, just like always, there was nothing else for Sasuke to do but to follow._

_Naruto was too close for Sasuke to think of a good way to assure him he had no plans of jumping in front of the flying bullets. For one insane moment, he thought about returning the favor and seeing how Naruto would react if Sasuke kissed __**him**__ out of the blue - and it was a good thought, one that made him sort of warm in the cold basement - but then Naruto countered with, "You have to go where your parents are. I can't take care of you."_

_The actual color of rage is not red, Sasuke thought, debating on how to exactly hit Naruto so it hurt him more. It's ridiculously yellow. He was not something to take care of, but there was always someone trying to do exactly that anyway. His parents were overprotective when he was young, they spoiled him rotten and even though Sasuke was grateful when that stopped, he never really wanted it for the price of war; not for them to stop because his brother was in a real danger. And then there was Itachi, who was never as obvious, but always lurking around and watching over him. _

_So, what, now even Naruto, someone who was supposed to be a friend, an equal is trying to do the same? It's too much and now it could possible be the right time to prove it to everyone he does not need their protection._

"_You are wasting my time." He said, aiming for cold and getting the dead edge in his voice thanks to the effort. "So get lost."_

_Naruto let go of the chair and stepped back as if he'd been burned. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it after finding nothing to say. Sasuke ignored him, with a dull ache in his chest, returning instead to the translation._

"_Worry," Naruto said, his voice somewhat strangled. "I meant - I can't worry about you now. I can't."_

_What Naruto meant was unimportant. Sasuke never before needed anyone to take care of him, not even to worry about him, and that was not about to change just because circumstances were harsher. His focus was suddenly sharp and set firmly on the translation. Naruto hesitated for a bit, but they'd known each other for far too long for Naruto to actually try again, so after a couple of long minutes, he walked out._

_The room felt much emptier than before. Sasuke didn't mind it at all._

_***  
_

February, 1944

The staircase was rough and long, leading into the basement that was either a lot smaller than it was when Sasuke was a kid, when he and Naruto had stumbled across the empty place, exploring, or he had gotten taller. He was very careful not to brush against the freshly painted walls. A stained uniform is unacceptable on a soldier

At closer inspection, the basement was smaller after all; three cells were built in along the wall opposite from the staircase. All the formalities were completed on the way down; Sasuke thought he did well, explaining his orders to transfer the prisoner to the capital, where the most competent experts for extracting information in the country were. He got a report on the prisoner's behavior and how they couldn't pull a single word out of him – except for some very colorful swearing, according to the translator. The officer leading the way gave Sasuke no odd looks while he spoke, so even his accent, the only part of his German that was even remotely questionable, must have been good.

He was directed to the cell that was farthest away from the edge of the stairwell. It felt almost like an accomplishment, that his heart could beat even harder, but it did. Naruto was just on the other side of that door, his mind whispered so Sasuke did what was expected of him, and marched into the pointed direction.

The soldier who was standing near the cells hailed him and as soon as he got the greeting in turn, he unlocked what was apparently Naruto's cell.

Sasuke stepped inside.

***

_Winter 1943/44 _

_Sasuke was not quite as mad at Naruto as he was in the first few weeks – or at least he wasn't mad for the same reason. _

_He was stuck inside, working on the papers; decoding, translating, setting up missions, arranging teams - everything that was off the terrain; and Sasuke was content doing exactly that. Many missions were planned for other, bigger, places and he even made all the preparations for several that took place inside the capital city – all successful. The movement was full of hot headed idiots that always went head first, claiming they have instincts to guide them, which was complete nonsense. As welcome as good instincts are, they could do nothing without at least basic preparation; it was a waste for people to die because those few that had some brains inside of the movement were too busy to work out a useable plan of action. _

_Itachi would not allow them to go just like that, of course, but Sasuke brought preparation onto the next level. The successfulness of the missions was incomparably higher. The death rate was lower, though not drastically so. Those reckless fools could say anything they want, Sasuke did them all much more good than he could ever have done being on the outside as just an extra hand. _

_Sasuke really loved the part he had in the movement; he just wished it was by his own choice and not because his brother was afraid for him. That was annoying and it made him irritable whenever Itachi was near – and when Itachi was away, he was worried, so that wasn't working well at all._

_The fear for those who were going out on the missions was constant. If sitting around and waiting for your friends to come back from the danger was hard, it was three times as hard to wait for them when you know exactly where they are, what they're doing, and when you know that you were the one who sent them out there. _

_He wasn't doing well emotionally, especially in the beginning. With time, things were not getting easier, but he had learned how to cope, how to stay distracted. Talking to Sakura – or more accurately, listening to her telling him specifics of each and every weapon in existence – was one way. Having sex was the other. Both worked only partially, and the second way also brought annoyance when ever he would lose the fight with himself and think about Naruto instead of about the person he was with. _

_With promiscuity came the reputation, and once rumors started, Naruto stopped trying to apologize and be friends again. It hurt, but for a long time already everything hurt, so that was nothing so significantly different to make him stop. Only with everybody, with every different girl – and later guys, too – his obsession with Naruto's chaste little good bye kiss from so long ago increased. _

_In the late fall, Sasuke couldn't even be in the same room as Naruto. He wanted to look, to touch, to grab Naruto by the hair that was too long and often uncombed, around the nearest corner and give him a proper kiss. But that was dangerous, he cared too much as it was. It was better for Naruto as well if they never became close enough again, in any way. Death was waiting in every shadow these days; a loss of such significance could cost you your own life._

_In winter, something happened to change things. A mission went really, really wrong._

_Four people – Kiba because he was good with car mechanics and all of their trucks were old and in desperate need of repair; Asuma, because he was the one who'd found the huge armory storage; Sakura, because she knew exactly what they needed the most and Naruto with them because they refused to take on something so big without him on the team, were sent to steal from the enemies' storage unit. They had support, a large number of the resistance, because the mission was important, but they were the only ones at the fire line, if they were discovered . . . And, that was exactly what happened_

_Sasuke knew no specifics then, but both supporting teams came back earlier then expected. They heard the shooting from inside of the warehouse, soon after that the local police started to patrol in the area in much larger numbers, so they gave up hope Naruto would somehow save the day once again, and ran._

_They made the right decision, Sasuke knew that. They had to take care of what they could. But it didn't help, the night stretched on; the hours were long and painful with nothing but the sounds of rain outside. By two in the morning, Sasuke was so scared he almost wished he could have Naruto's corpse on his hands instead of the waiting._

_Everyone knew Naruto and Sasuke were best friends and were now in some great fight, but not many of them suspected quite how much he cared. There was no room left for doubt after that night; not when Sasuke couldn't make his hands stop shaking and not after he yelled and cursed, and when Itachi had to use his authority and order people to physically stop him from going to the warehouse on his own._

_They came back though, just before dawn. _

_The movement was stationed in a two story house that belonged to some people who ran out of town, and even thought the knocking on the window on the street's side was correct, everyone were too tense, so when Naruto came inside the tight hall, he had at least five guns pointed into his head._

_He laughed, but it was not sincere and he was tired. "Wow, are we having new rules now? You get killed for a failed mission?"_

_His voice broke the tension, and even as the weapon was being moved, some people threw themselves at Naruto and the people who were behind him, waiting to come further inside. Sasuke couldn't move from the spot, he just leaned on the wall behind him, and for the first time ever, enjoyed the racket._

_After a few minutes, the crowd moved into the direction of the kitchen, so Sasuke opened his eyes to check once more that Naruto is alive. It took him a moment to find the blond head among the others, and when his eyes finally met blue, now honestly laughing gaze, Naruto flinched and stopped in his tracks, like someone poured hot water at him. _

_Not sure what was it that Naruto saw on him, Sasuke nodded his head - to say that he was glad Naruto was fine, that he was alright; what ever was it that Naruto needed reassurance about. Then he turned and climbed the stairs up, his knees horribly instable. _

_Alone in the room he was sharing with a couple of people, Sasuke only had enough time to ask himself was he completely out of his mind, they – __**Naruto**__ was in danger all the time, why was he overreacting?- when the door opened behind him._

_***  
_

February, 1944

It was bad, as Sasuke expected it to be. But nothing prepared him for seeing Naruto beaten and bloody, chained to the walls, with his hair and the remainder of a once white shirt wet, but he hadn't let anything show on his face, even though he entered the cell alone.

It was tiny and completely bare. A naked light bulb swinging from the ceiling was the only decoration the room had, and when he pulled the chord, the brightness was violent and painful. The scene in front of Sasuke hadn't changed, though. Naruto was chained to the wall, but the chains were long enough to allow him to sit down on the ground; with his face turned to the door and knees up to his chest, he looked small and sad.

Naruto looked up when Sasuke stopped. His eyes, that held nothing of that childish feature his body was showing, widened for a moment, and then he snorted some blood out in attempt to laugh. "Now I know you fuckers gave me some drugs."

The blood was disconcerting because there were no visible wounds, which meant it might be caused by some kind of internal damage. No mater how much he wanted to check him out more closely, to make sure Naruto was okay, to untie him, Sasuke knew all would be lost if he did any of that. It was not very likely a German officer would touch a prisoner unless it was to harm him further

He turned and walked out without ever speaking to Naruto. A short nod to the soldier that was guarding the door was enough to make the man burst into movement, enter the cell, and unlock padlocks on Naruto's wrists. There was noise from the other cells, a voice calling out that Sasuke thought he knew, but there was nothing he could do for the person inside either way.

The warrant officer disappeared in the meantime. Sasuke tried not to worry about it.

***

_Winter 1943/44 _

_Cheers and laughter could still be heard downstairs; after so much noise and circulation, people going in and out, trying to get some information and now this, they will have to find the place to move right away. _

_There was little doubt about who had followed him up, and Naruto erased it when he called softly, "Sasuke?"_

_It would go much easier if he just didn't have to turn, but the temptation was too strong. There seemed to be a part of Sasuke's mind that was still hesitant to believe Naruto was really alright, and it demanded of him to walk over where the steps had died away and use his hands to make sure it was not just a ghost, that it was actual warm and alive flesh of his best friend there. He had to turn, but a firm grip on the edge of the plain wooden table beside him kept him in place. _

_Naruto's clothes were dirty, mud and blood stains everywhere, and there was something in his hair. It made Sasuke want to go to him even more, to check for a pulse, breath even frost-bite, anything to reassure him. His fingers were starting to hurt from digging into the hard wood, and Naruto was neither coming closer nor edging away. _

"_What?" Sasuke asked finally, wishing with a sort of helplessness that would be less so - perhaps at least snappy, if not indifferent. _

"_You look horrible." Naruto stated, like he had any right to judge on that, and took a single step closer. "Were you worried? We had to wait in the sewers until the patrols eased up – like you said before we headed out, there was a vent just behind the corner. . ."_

_His voice died away._

"_I'm glad you're alive," Sasuke answered, looking away from the confusion on Naruto's face. He was so much more than glad; he was relieved, he was breathing again. _

_Naruto murmured, "Well, that's something."_

_Sasuke let go of the table to get his sleeping shirt out of the bag next to the mattress that had been his bed for several weeks now. It was a little easier when he wasn't looking in that direction, but Naruto's presence was still heavy and powerful in the room. _

"_You should go clean up," Sasuke said, not turning around. "I have to get some rest." _

_It was probably the truth; he'd been up for more than thirty hours, researching for the mission and then waiting, but he was wide awake now, with Naruto so close, with his blood coursing longingly through his system. He didn't want to rest._

"_Sasuke," Naruto asked, still murmuring but so much closer now, just a step away. "Are we ever going to be friends again?"_

'_No' would be the honest answer. 'Things changed; we're not what we were.'_

_Sasuke lied. "I don't know." _

_Naruto sighed, heavily, and answered with so much bitterness in his voice, it made Sasuke cringe, "That was one thing war was not supposed to spoil." _

_But it wasn't the war, Sasuke thought, and then said, "You left."_

_The only answer for a moment was a warm hand over his shoulder, the small not-quite-touch that made him shiver despite the effort Sasuke invested in stopping it. Naruto leaned closer, until his breathing was loud and sparkling on Sasuke's neck. "I've never left __**you**__." _

_Naruto was talking as if they were lovers, as if Sasuke actually had any right to demand to know anything, and that was just a lie, so he moved away and out of reach. The weakness in his knees was still there, making his steps slightly awkward and sloppy. _

"_It was a long time ago anyway. There is no point in talking about it."_

_Naruto got mad. "Yes, there is. I want to know why you are so pissed at me! I want to know whatever I have done to you that was so horrible you can't stay in the same room whenever I walk in!"_

_How can he explain? You kissed me, but it was only once, just so I could know what I can't have. You kissed me, and now I can't really breathe from the want, from the power of the need to kiss you back when you're close? Not that Sasuke would say that. But it was the truth; that kiss had woken up something that was asleep inside him until then, something possessive and selfish, something that was not __**friendship**__. _

"_Just tell me what I can do so you'd forgive me." Naruto's voice was lower now, but still mad, still clear and sane. Sasuke wanted, he wanted badly to simply answer 'kiss me again', and maybe he would have said something, but it got lost in the feel of Naruto grabbing his elbow to turn him around. "Or, for fuck's sake, at least look at me!"_

_His eyes were not shut, not really, but shadowed by the hair that was meant to be bright yet was wet and dirty, and with eyes that were supposed to be angry but instead were pleading, it felt as if he had just opened them. Naruto smelled like soil and filthy street water and his fingers were making holes in the flesh of Sasuke's arm._

"_It's not a good idea," Sasuke warned him, "to be so close." _

_It really wasn't, for some reason; he was sure of it. Naruto looked confused, maybe even hurt and he let go of Sasuke but it was already too late for that, so Sasuke crossed that tiny step that was still between them, removed some filth from Naruto's shoulder with his right hand and pushed him back with his left. _

"_Oh," Naruto said, in wonder, when he hit the table behind him. He moved his hand, placing it somewhere in between them, in the way, so Sasuke caught his wrist in mid-movement and shoved it back forcefully. Their hands hitting the board together made a loud, loud noise in the room where no one was even breathing. Naruto said it again with less surprise and more understanding this time and found the way around Sasuke's waist to grab on tightly and bring them flat against each other._

_Not even kissing could be friendly and pleasant between them any longer, it seemed. They met half way, and it was a fight and not a real kiss from the beginning, hard and unforgiving, and full of flames that burned away the oxygen between them. They could not stop – _Sasuke_ couldn't stop, couldn't get enough, because Naruto was addictively sweet and inhumanly warm. Fingers found their way between them again; the warm touch was killing the buttons of Sasuke's shirt until it was open and then Naruto tore his mouth away. _

_The shivers from the loss made Sasuke let go of Naruto's hand on the table so he could lean on it, but Naruto was still there, still close and warm and licking that dizzyingly sensitive place on Sasuke's neck. The moan that escaped him without a thought met the low growl Naruto let out before biting down, over and over again, until Sasuke wasn't in any condition to think or resist when he was turned around and pushed toward the mattress on the floor._

_Naruto's shirt disappeared next, and the skin beneath it tasted bitter from sweat and mud, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to care. He licked a trail to Naruto's right nipple; it tasted the same, but the texture under his tongue was different, and Naruto was shaking and clutching his fingers much too forcefully into Sasuke's shoulders and neck, where, tomorrow, tracks would be visible. _

_The next time Naruto managed to push, Sasuke found the wall with his back. The rough brick was colder than the rain outside, and the body covering his was warmer than the fire in the furnace in the corner; the contrast was uncomfortable for a second. Naruto kissed him again when he gasped, and again and again, like he couldn't get enough of kissing, like they had all the time in the world for it, and all the traces of violence and anger vanished._

_Sasuke held him close with one hand, and let the other wander over Naruto's skin, over his neck, shoulder and down his spine. When the circle was done, his fingernails were full of filth and Naruto's breathing was nothing but frantic gasps that were wrapping themselves around his cock like a cord made of rubber would. Finding Naruto's hand that was lost in Sasuke's hair, he guided it to press a hot palm over the bulge in his old, thick pants. Naruto shifted to look down at his hand, at Sasuke's crotch; he squeezed, fisted to the best of his abilities and dropped wordlessly onto his knees._

_It almost hurt him, the forcefulness and Naruto's impatience with the zipper. Once his cock hit the cold air though, Naruto stopped, frozen in mid-movement, just looking up at him, searching for something, asking questions with his eyes but Sasuke had no idea what it was all about so he blinked and slid down the wall. The silhouette of Naruto against the gray, dim light of the dawn was dark and familiar. _

_Naruto shook off what was distracting him with a jerky movement of his head, his grip tightened and he leaned over to kiss Sasuke again._

_***  
_

February, 1944

Naruto's eyes were wide and on Sasuke when he stumbled out of the cell, with his hands tightly tied behind his back. There was curiosity and some kind of frightened suspicion in them; all Sasuke wanted to do was snap at him or maybe kiss him. The infamous, irreplaceable great fighter of the movement, the one everyone wanted on his team for extra safety, almost openly gaping, would be quite a funny picture - if they were not inside of a snake lair, in such grave danger. So Sasuke refused to look back at him, or give out any recognition.

The soldier pushed Naruto in front of him, so forcefully he stumbled again and almost collided with Sasuke's shoulder. He stepped aside, careful to show disgust, and glared at the soldier for daring to make an officer almost touch the prisoner. He ignored Naruto, who gasped in what had to be pain.

Sasuke lead the way out, up the stairs and the soldier half-dragged – half-pushed Naruto to follow him, efficiently leaving the control to Sasuke. Once they had climbed up the stairs and entered the hall on the ground floor, something eased in his stomach, but it was still too early.

Several soldiers with light machine guns were standing behind the warrant officer, who had his personal pistol pointed at Sasuke's chest. Damn.

Ignoring the need to cringe and assure them he was not an impostor, Sasuke steeled his voice and demanded to know exactly what was going on. It turned out that when they checked out the name and ranking over the radio, they received information that the officer in question was dead.

Naruto edged up to him, with an obvious intention to place himself between Sasuke and the soldiers. _What a fucking hero_, Sasuke thought fondly and shoved him forcefully on the side. The surprised yelp and a loud bang announced when Naruto slammed into the wall.

***

_Winter 1943/44 _

_They had only enough time to exchange a few words before Naruto practically lost conscious, only a couple of seconds after he placed his still dirty head on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke managed to find out, because he finally remembered to ask, that Sakura was okay as well. A tiny pang of guilt almost made him get out from the not very comfortable but warm bedding to go and see for himself. Naruto was holding onto him tightly and that simple fact was more than enough to stop Sasuke from even trying._

_The morning was just as rainy as the previous night had been. The stream of rain water falling down the damaged gutter was loud and the ceiling had lifeless patterns to testify to the age of the house they were in, but Sasuke hadn't feeling this content in his own skin since the war had started. It was pleasant, that morning. Naruto's soft snores lulled him into a restful sleep. _

_Only a couple of hours later, Itachi woke him up, shaking him. Even half asleep, Sasuke knew they had to move out of the house soon, so he turned to wake up a still sleeping Naruto, but Itachi stopped him. _

"_One of the main branches in the capital has problems with a code that looks very similar to the one you cracked last month," Itachi said quietly, considerate to a sleeping Naruto. "And they have no one to deal with it at the moment. You're going on a trip."_

_He hadn't waited for an answer, not that Sasuke had something to say. He looked at Naruto once again, flushed and breathing deeply in his sleep and wondered for a second what had stopped them from doing this long ago. It was dangerous, and it would hurt a lot if Naruto died, yes, but it would hurt a lot no matter how close they were physically. Right then, it seemed worth any complication, any set of problems that could come from it._

_He had to go, so he managed to untangle himself from underneath Naruto's arm. The shirt he wore yesterday had large stains where Naruto had brushed up against it, and Sasuke had to find another one._

"_Where're you going?" Naruto's sleepy, hoarse voice made him look up from where he was digging through his bag. _

"_The capital," he answered shortly. _

_Naruto sat up on the mattress. "Now?"_

"_Yeah, I think so. Are you going to sleep some more?"_

_Naruto looked torn, and then gave a little shake of his head. But Sasuke knew he was still tired – hell, Sasuke, himself, was still tired, and he hadn't been crouching in the sewers the entire night after being shot at – so he moved back, kneeling on the bed. _

"_You should, you will be moving later." Naruto grinned; he looked even more exhausted up close, with his eyes red and swollen, and a drained quality to his smile. But that had no consequences on his speed and agility; Naruto moved forward and grabbed Sasuke's shoulders, and in the next second, Sasuke was facing the ceiling again._

"_We," he whispered, nuzzling Sasuke's neck under the ear, "have to talk about what happened."_

_Sasuke disagreed on that. There was nothing to talk about; everything was fine, irrefutably__** fine**__. So it would be really nice if they could manage not to ruin it with some pointless fight. But Naruto's lips were split and hot when he left a little kiss on the sensitive skin of his earlobe, a kiss that surely left a scorching mark. _

"_I have to go," Sasuke somehow managed; his words barely more than gasps when Naruto's tongue soothed the burn. _

"_So you said," Naruto answered, not at all concerned. He propped himself up on his hands and looked down. His eyes were dark blue, like the sky on a cloudy day, but clear and serious, and focused on Sasuke's face, on the reaction he wanted to see. "I'm not letting you go, you know. And you know I don't like sharing, so make peace with having only one sexual partner from now on at that field trip you have to go on." _

"_Field trip?" Sasuke asked, because everything else Naruto had just said was a waste of words. Like last night could compare with anything, with anyone else; like Naruto's vividness and warmth could be replaced – like there was any chance at all that Sasuke would let Naruto go now. "It's a mission. An important mission."_

_Naruto lowered himself until he was so close, the words felt like they caressed his very skin, "Some sun will do you good."_

_Sasuke meant to explain the concept of winter and the causes for the lack of the sun during that particular season, but Naruto kissed him then, heartbreakingly slow and wet, so he forgot. _

_Itachi had to come back for him, which made Sasuke feel a bit embarrassed but he wanted to smirk a lot as well. Naruto grinned again, and slid off him back under the covers, where it was probably still warm and comfortable. He closed his eyes as soon as his head landed on the pillow, so Sasuke got up, found his shirt and finally got out of the room. Itachi was glaring at him, which was funny._

_The 'field trip' lasted for a week, and when Sasuke finally entered the town again, anxious to tell Itachi about the things he had seen and eager to see Naruto again, the welcoming team took him to an unfamiliar place, all very quiet along the way. Sasuke asked no questions._

_What welcomed him was a fight. The voices died away as soon as he stepped over the threshold, so Sasuke began to get a really, really bad feeling about it._

"_What happened?" He asked the silent room, and looked around for Naruto._

_Before he managed to scan the ten or so people that were in the room, from a doorway that presumably led to some other room in the house Sakura entered running right to him, and hung herself about his neck like he was supposed to save her from drowning. _

"_Naruto," she said, and Sasuke realized from the wet, thick voice that she had been crying. "He was caught, they have him. . ." _

_The rest of what she said came across as a strangled sob, and Sasuke had to fight not to push her away. Naruto and Sakura were pretty close, she had the right to be upset, to search for comfort, because Naruto being caught meant Naruto will be dead soon, after days of extracting information with the help of some imaginative torture and cruel beatings. _

_Instead of reacting physically, Sasuke found the eyes of his brother on the other side of the room. _

"_So what are you planning to do about it?" he asked._

_Itachi, the cold bastard that he was, hadn't moved a muscle when he answered. "There is nothing we can do. They are keeping him in the headquarters outside of town; the place is full of soldiers." _

_Itachi was being reasonable about this. He was being calm and collected and __**reasonable**__._

"_Itachi," Sasuke said, and there was something in his voice this time that made Sakura let go as if she'd been burned. "If you won't do anything, I will."_

"_There is nothing you can do," Itachi answered flatly. _

_The room was dead silent, so Sasuke could hear his blood boiling from the need to turn around, leave, and save Naruto right away. He took a deep, deep breath. Preparation was the key to a successful mission. Research was crucial. He had to make a plan. _

_First, he had to find out as much as he could._

_So Sasuke asked questions. Naruto had been captured early in the morning on the previous day when he turned back to help a team member that was caught up in some barb wire. 'It figures. That fucking idiot.' The rescued man said that the officer in charge knew Naruto's name and his connection to Itachi, which was both good and bad; good because they were more likely to keep him alive longer, in the hope that Naruto would give them information about the resistance, and bad because of the way the information was invariably extracted. _

_Sources connected to the Gestapo claimed the more important prisoners were in the new military HQ, a freshly renovated house on the edge of town. A single look at the old archive photo was enough to trigger Sasuke's memory. It was the house Naruto and Sasuke had stumbled upon one summer when they were kids, and made it their playground for that entire year. He knew it like he knew the back of his hand._

_The plan began to form in his head. Sakura found him a uniform. Both she and Kiba insisted on coming until they realized that nothing fit them well enough. Sasuke was a little relieved. He was better off working alone. _

_Itachi had tried to stop him. He never even managed to make Sasuke think about it, and it made him angry, so angry that he raised his voice at his little brother. Sasuke pulled his uniformed arm out of Itachi's grip and walked to where Kiba had parked the car without regrets, but, unfortunately with just a hint fear__**. **_

***

February, 1944

Taking a clean, white handkerchief out of the pocket of his uniform pants, Sasuke carefully wiped out the palm of his right hand, the one he'd used to push Naruto.

As he hoped, his annoyance and complete lack of fear confused the soldiers. Even the warrant officer lowered his weapon, frowning. Sasuke, ignoring the soldier behind him like he expected nothing less but for the man to follow, lead the prisoner out and simply continued to walk toward the exit. The warrant officer got over the confusion soon enough, though. He once again blocked Sasuke's exit with his own body.

Taking one last chance, Sasuke used the back of his hand to hit him so hard, the man's glasses broke and he barely managed to keep his balance. Giving him one last disgusted and angry glance, Sasuke instructed him to stop wasting his time and go back to the radio to double check the information he'd given him, because someone had obviously made a mistake. Sasuke left to his imagination just how they would pay for the inconvenience he was going through.

He confidently continued through the door. No one stopped him this time, and the soldier followed him, pushing Naruto along. Sasuke waited, while every nerve ending in his body wanted to move, until Naruto was pushed, head first, into the car and then saluted the soldier that was following him. Once at the wheel, the nervous urge to step on the paddle increased significantly, and gave into it when he saw in the mirror that the annoying officer, sans glasses, hurrying after them at a run with a Schmeisser machine pistol in his hands.

"You," Naruto said quietly from the back seat, "are the coldest bastard I've ever seen in my life."

The car roared into the turn just before the gate as a smug and appropriate answer, and Sasuke felt oddly flattered. Even as the gate was closing, because German soldiers were so damn efficient, they were speeding up.

"Can't you bend your head or something?" Naruto yelled, startling him a little, somewhat muffled but still loud enough for Sasuke to wonder why he was making so much noise.

He blinked against the flickering, yellowish light that reflected in the mirror. For a second, his mind simply refused to make a connection, but then it clicked so he lowered his head as much as he could without taking his eyes off the road.

The gate was half closed when the car blew out through it, heavily scraping the left side, but barely losing any speed.

They were out.

"That's a good boy," Naruto said, much too dryly for someone in his position. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you bent your spine." Sasuke was not insulted. It was rather stupid of him not to realize right away they were being shot at.

As soon as they managed to eek out some distance between them and the soldiers, Sasuke turned in his seat. The back seat was empty, and for one horrible moment he thought Naruto had somehow managed to drop out of the car. A movement managed to catch his eye, luckily _before_ he hit the breaks; Naruto was on the floor, trying to rise without using his arms.

"You alright there?" Sasuke asked.

The only answer he got was some colorful swearing, so Sasuke decided Naruto was probably just under some stress, but not seriously hurt. He couldn't help but check again, this time in the mirror. Naruto's gaze, bright from the anger, met his.

"I'll kill you," Naruto promised solemnly. "And I'll kill your brother, too. What the fuck did you think you were doing? You could have died! It's a miracle you didn't!"

"You're welcome." Sasuke answered, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the mirrored reflection. "Itachi had nothing to do with it, the plan was mine."

Naruto shifted in well of the backseat. "I know that. This was insane; of course it came from you."

"It _worked_," Sasuke pointed out. Naruto shifted again instead of answering, so Sasuke glanced back to see what was he doing.

"Spoken too early," Naruto announced, while glancing at something just visible through the back window. "They are following us. Where is your reinforcement?"

Sasuke didn't answer, just pushed the pedal harder, until it hit the floor again. Naruto informed him after a short, uncomfortable silence that he could see at least two cars and that Sasuke should _hurry, _drive faster or at least untie him. Sasuke considered himself capable of multitasking, even on a bad day, but now he only glared and wished Naruto had been gagged as well when he had found him in that cell.

The car weirdly vibrated for a second. Confused, Sasuke looked into the mirror again – maybe he ran over something? But the expansive flame behind the car blinded him as Naruto yelped, "Bomb! Someone threw a bomb at them!"

So Itachi sent someone after all. While he was listening to Naruto happily informing him about another bomb and catching the staccato pitch of gunfire, something heavy and painful broke out of Sasuke's chest. Naruto was going to be fine. Itachi hadn't left him alone. This war hadn't managed to take all of what was good in his life just yet.

He almost felt like smiling, out of the sheer relief.

Once they were miles and miles away, on a back road somewhere in the woods, Sasuke finally managed to force himself to stop the car. Not wanting to get out just yet, Sasuke crossed over from the front to the back seat, where Naruto was.

"Let me untie you," he said, feeling ridiculous when his voice broke. It was all over, why was he reacting now?

Naruto faced him completely for a moment, barely visible in the dark, but Sasuke knew every inch, every curve of that face. He had no need for the moonlight sneaking through the branches above the car. Sasuke wanted to touch him, to grab him and not let go. In fact, that was exactly what he would do, as soon as he cut those ropes.

After several seconds, Naruto turned. Sasuke managed to untie him without using a knife, because that would be dangerous in such darkness. As soon as Naruto wringed his wrists out of the ropes, he turned and leaned over Sasuke; leaned into him.

"You complete, insane, total _asshole_," he whispered, encircling his surely pain-filled arms around Sasuke's waist and burying his face into Sasuke's neck. "What were you doing? You could have died!"

Sasuke didn't want to tell him he was as good dead himself before Sasuke had come back for him. Naruto knew the risks, but that had never before stopped the cruelty of words from hurting him. Sasuke didn't want Naruto to know just how desperate he was at the very thought of losing him. He didn't want to talk at all, in case some of that slipped through the blossoming gap in his control. So he wrapped Naruto in his arms and pulled him to lean even heavier on his shoulders, until Sasuke felt he was comfortably nestled between the leather seat and Naruto's comfortable weight.

"You're shaking," Naruto pointed out needlessly and kissed him. At some point, before they pulled apart after many long moments huddled close together, the shaking had stopped and some of the tension in Sasuke's back had eased.

He decided that the back seat of the car, even if Naruto decided not to move an inch, was not a bad option at all for spending the night. Itachi deserved some worry, and both Naruto and he deserved some rest before jumping right back into the fight. So, with a contented sigh, Sasuke allowed the comfort of Naruto's arms and the cool night to lull him to sleep.

_Kraj_


End file.
